The Real Thing
by karahi3004
Summary: Riley and Lucas are good friends. But what happens when a fake relationship is necessary? AN: I don't really like authors notes, so I didn't put a lot. Please, no flames. :)
1. The Begining

She looked him in the eye, and they just stared, trying to read each other, yet completely understanding what the other was feeling. Finally gaining her composure, she smiled, genuinely. He gave her a look of wonder, and they sat down. As they did their research, he began to speak, talking about his life in Texas, and of the adventures he had on his ranch. She looked up and listened intently, savoring every word. When they began to pack up, Lucas noticed his name written on the top of a piece of stationary. Curious, he picked it up, asking what it was. Riley's face immediately flushed red. He began to read. As he read, the shade of his face slowly began to match that of Riley's. On the stationary was all of Riley's feelings, most of which were directed towards him.

Dear Lucas,

As I write this, I am in seventh grade, and I believe you will never read this. But if you ever do, I want you to know that, as I write this, I am also discovering myself, and coming to a full clarification on my feelings. You should know that I have had a lot of time to come to this clarification: I really like you. And when I say that, I mean the "really like" that all great love stories have. But I'm not so sure that I love you. Yet. But I really like you. And that's good enough for me.

Sincerely,

Riley

She waited for a response, close to tears. He slowly handed the letter back to her. "I believe this belongs to you."

The next day, as the inseparable foursome walked down the hallway, they were greeted, none too kindly, by none other than Missy Bradford. "If I wanted to see a pathetic group of humans, I would just watch any of One Direction's music videos."

Riley just grinned and kissed Lucas on the cheek, causing him to blush, whispering, "Shall we go to class?"

Missy was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that a pathetic little child could get the boy she had been crushing on for years. As Maya and Farkle walked down the hall, hand in hand, Lucas pulled Riley aside and asked an important question. "Why?"

"Simple," she explained, "Missy wants you. You hate Missy. If you have me, then she'll back off. If anything, she'll try to scare me, and my biggest fear already became a reality."

"What was your biggest fear?" He questioned, genuinely not sure.

Her face turned a deep shade of red. "You, reading that letter."

As they walked into class, Cory picked Riley up and carried her into the classroom. He then commenced to shut the door in Lucas's face, screaming, "Not today Chachi!" Lucas simply made his way to the other door of the classroom and let himself in. Cory started lecturing about World War II, but Riley was too busy thinking about Lucas, and Lucas was too busy thinking about Riley. But their thoughts were nowhere near similar.

In Riley's head, all of her miscellaneous thoughts circled the one question. Was I being too straightforward with Lucas? But in Lucas's head the thoughts were the exact opposite. What does Riley think about me? Does she not understand the feelings I have for her? I don't think I expressed them clearly enough. I need to be more straightforward with her.

"Mr. Friar!" Lucas snapped out of his thoughts, unsure of what caused him to do so.

"If you're done daydreaming," snapped Cory, "I'd appreciate it if you could tell the class, who was the leader in Germany, causing the Second World War."

"My apologies, sir." He responded, "Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany during the Second World War. He was a dictator that wanted everyone to look the same, act the same, and be the same."


	2. Maya

**AN: I know this chapter is really short, but just bear with me. Finals are this week and music rehearsals are really taking its toll on me. I promise I will update longer chapters soon.**

As Riley walked down the hallway with her three best friends, she spotted Missy Bradford. Her back was facing the group, but Riley still got anxious, and clutched Lucas's arm.

"It's ok," he whispered, and interlaced his fingers with hers. She gave him a questioning look, and he just smiled.

When they reached the table where they usually eat lunch, Maya saw the two of them holding hands, and gave Riley a questioning look. Riley sadly smiled and shook her head, indicating that her and Lucas were not together, and only doing this for Lucas's benefit. Maya took a deep breath and said, with a fake calmness that slightly scared everyone, "Riley. Hallway. Now."

Riley reluctantly complied.

"Let me get this straight," Maya began. "You like Ranger Rick, right?"

Riley's head slowly moved up, then down.

"Ok, and Ranger Rick likes you?"

Riley slowly brought her shoulders up to her ears.

Maya sighed with exasperation.


	3. Problems

Missy spotted Lucas and immediately went in for the kill. She touched his shoulder and murmured in his ear. "So, Lucas, there's going to be a party at my house this weekend. Anybody who's anybody is invited."

"Missy," Lucas replied, placing his hand atop hers in an attempt to remove it from his shoulder, "You know that I don't like you, and you know that my girlfriend doesn't like you, so just back off. Honestly, I'd prefer to not spend time with you. Ever."

Lucas calmly got up from his seat, smiled at Missy, and walked away, surprised at how easy the word "girlfriend" rolled off of his tongue.

Riley and Maya stood, frozen, in the cafeteria doorway, both of their mouths agape. Neither could believe what they had seen. But Maya was more irritated than Riley. Lucas liked Riley. Not only was it completely obvious, but Lucas had told her that he really liked Riley. And she knew that they were perfect for each other. Surprisingly, Riley was the first to snap out of her trance. Instead of removing Maya from her state of mind, Riley just pulled her to the table and sat.

"Ladies."

"Farkle!"

"Maya."

"Wierdo, scoot over."

Lucas took his place at the table next to Riley. She took one look at him, turned up her nose, and walked away. She did not have the time and energy to deal with the problem that just unfolded in front of her. But as she walked away, you could see the tears begin to pool in her eyes.

Maya slammed her hands onto the table and stood up. "Ok, what is going on? Because if what I think is going on is going on, you are going to be seriously hurt."

Farkle put his hand on hers, interlacing his fingers in between hers. That gesture alone was enough to calm her down, and she sat back down, and let Lucas explain.

"Ok, first of all, Missy put her hand on my shoulder first. And I was trying to move her hand off of my shoulder. Secondly, I was telling Missy to leave me and Riley alone. Ever since I read that letter, I've wanted to give us a chance. And Missy's crush problems seemed to be an easy way to try dating without dating. Now, I want to date her for real, but I don't know how to ask her."


	4. The Missy Issue

The next morning was a Saturday morning, sunny, yet slightly chilly, just the way Riley liked it. She got up early, as usual, and Maya came in through the window, as usual. But what was unusual was the amount of urgency that Maya had in her voice as she yelled, "Hurry up! You need to look presentable in, at most, five minutes!"

So, Riley jumped out of bed, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and put on a pair of carefully intact skinny jeans, and a white lace top. She slipped on her black ankle boots and within the time she had been allotted, she was ready to go. As she stepped out of her bedroom door, she heard the doorbell. Confused, she opened the door. She was astonished to see Lucas standing there. Even so, upon seeing him, she commenced to slam the door in his face, walk down the hallway, and climb under her covers. After Maya let him in, Lucas sat on the couch waiting for Riley. He knew what she thought happened, and he wanted to tell her the truth, maybe even get her to actually date him.

"I am never leaving this bed."

Riley pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a tiny ball, as if awaiting her deadly fate. Her shoulders began to shake, and you could hear the sobs begin to escape her throat.

"Listen. All Huckleberry wants is for you to understand what really went down. And I think he wants to tell you for himself, because we all know what happened last time you made an assumption regarding Missy." Maya tried comforting her friend. "Now get up out of that bed and face the day, because I know that you are going to like the way it will turn out."

Riley walked into the living room, hesitant, because she didn't know what to expect from Lucas. He got up from his place on the couch and opened the door for her. As she walked out of the room she looked at Lucas, still unsure of what to expect. She walked into the hallway of their apartment building, and he followed suite. When they reached the diner, they found a booth and sat down, neither of them enjoying the awkward silence. "Ok," Lucas started, "So you're probably wondering why I brought you here today. I brought you here because I need to explain to you what happened with Missy."

After Lucas explained everything, Riley regarded him from behind her hair. She didn't know whether or not to trust this boy, but he did try to fix everything up with her, and she was thankful.

Lucas's mind was on overdrive. He was waiting for the right time to ask Riley the big question. He thought it would be best to give her a little time to understand what was going on before he made his move. As he opened his mouth to ask her to be his real girlfriend, Missy walked in the door.


	5. Riley

**AN: I do apologize if I didn't make myself clear in the last chapter. They saw Missy at the diner, not Riley's home. Now, enjoy!**

Riley froze in her spot. The feelings of hatred and disgust simmered their way to the surface. She attempted to hide herself behind her hair and did not succeed. Missy, after noting that Riley was at the diner, sauntered over to Riley's table. She, however, failed to notice that Lucas was in the booth across from Riley. When she did, it was too late.

"So, Riley, did you hear? Lucas is coming to my party this weekend, and I don't believe that the invitation was extended to you." You could hear the poison dripping from her words. "Now, I would have loved it if you came, because I told him he could bring his friends, but I don't think he even mentioned it to you, did he?"

Riley fired up her own retort. Angrily, she stated, "All I can say, is that I prefer to trust Lucas rather than you. I know you wish Lucas was yours, but he's not. He's mine. And if he tells me one thing, and you tell me another, I swear on my life that I will trust him. Because he is a trustworthy person, unlike you."

Missy huffed and walked away, irritated with the response that she got from Riley. Meanwhile, Lucas looked at Riley in amazement. She had just stood up to the one person that had been bullying her for all of middle school. But Riley had other ideas. What was just stated, by her mortal enemy, confirmed all of the doubts she had about Lucas. She slammed her hands on the table, leaned in, and whispered in Lucas's ear, "Have a nice time."

She stormed out of the diner.

Riley couldn't stand it. Knowing that nothing would save her better than a well-written story, she ran all the way to the library, tears blurring her vision. She always made sure to greet the librarian on duty, no matter what state of mind she was in. She walked in, and was grateful to see that her favorite librarian, Ms. Innis, was working today. She waved to her and attempted a smile, but Ms. Innis knew that something was wrong. So she walked up to Riley. "Listen, I have the most perfect book for you. It's called Eat, Pray, Love. Let's head to the back and I'll grab you a beanbag and a hot chocolate."

Grateful for the unending kindness of Ms. Innis, Riley sank into the beanbags, took a sip of her chocolate, and dove into the pages of a new world.

Meanwhile, Maya was having a wonderful afternoon with her significant other, Farkle Mincus. She was in awe of how much she enjoyed spending time with him. Back in middle school, she could hardly stand him. But all of that changed. As the two were walking in the park, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She looked at the screen and saw a text from Lucas. She cringed. Farkle took note and immediately responded. "What's wrong?"

She looked him in the eye and said, "It's a text from Lucas. It can't be good."


	6. Lucas

**AN: Hey guys! So I know it's been a long time since I actually updated this story. My behavior was inexcusable, and I'm sorry. Also, Maya and Farkle are not very relevant in this chapter, but they will be soon. But now, it is time to enjoy. Enjoy!**

Lucas was frantic. He had looked all over the city and he still couldn't find Riley. He went into all of her favorite coffee shops, and still couldn't find her. And there were a lot of favorite coffee shops. He suddenly realized that there was only one place that Riley would go to. When she was sad or distressed, she would head to the library. There was one small hitch in his plan, though. Riley knew all of the librarians. If he walked in, then they might know what was going on and he might not get to see Riley. Finally realizing how stupid he was, he walked into the library. To his horror, the librarian called him over. "She's in the back. Try not to break her heart, okay?"

That was the last thing he wanted to do.

He saw her sitting there. The hot chocolate was in a cup beside her, while her nose was buried deep into the pages of the book, her eyes moving intently back and forth. She was mouthing the words as she read, not noticing that the world was moving on right in front of her. She picked up her hot chocolate, took a tentative sip, and cringed. The chocolate had burned her tongue once again. She glanced up, just to check her surroundings, and locked eyes with Lucas. "Listen…" he started, dead set on making her his girlfriend.

"Actually, I have something to say." Riley put down her book and stood up, clutching the cup of hot chocolate. "For now, I think it's better if we play pretend. I already blew up in Missy's face, and she thinks we're still together, so for the time being, I think we should just pretend. It was easier that way, wasn't it?"

Lucas's heart shattered. He wanted to keep Riley happy, so he just managed a small "yes" and left her in the library, with her hot chocolate in her hand, unable to look her in her eyes.

That night, Riley could not stop crying. All she did was make this situation a lot worse than it already was. Her last thought before she went to sleep, _what's done is done._


	7. Happyland

It was seven o'clock, Monday morning. Riley was putting her bowl in the sink when she heard the buzzer, "Maya and Farkle here!"

"Don't forget me!"

Lucas's voice was enough to turn her stomach into a flock of butterflies. Even with the recent turn of events, she could not stop herself from feeling what she felt. She could not, however, pinpoint exactly what she was feeling. Either way, she still had to live with it.

Lucas knocked on the door. He expected to see Cory open the door, so he was genuinely surprised when the door opened and he saw Riley's face. She looked like an angel, one that wore blue jeans and yellow cardigans. She smiled a shy smile, and she moved out of the way to let her guests enter, if only for a few minutes. She shoved a piece of toast in her mouth and grabbed her backpack. When she was ready, the foursome walked out the door, waving goodbye to Auggie, Cory, and Topanga. Maya and Farkle walked ahead, wanting to give Lucas and Riley some space. Lucas put his hands in his front pocket, wondering how to start a conversation with Riley. Riley, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice. She pulled out her iPod and started listening to her favorite band, My Chemical Romance.

"Do you want to?" she said, offering Lucas an earphone. He smiled and took it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her mouthing all of the words to the song. She was phenomenal in his eyes, and there was nothing that could change that.

"He's looking at her again."

"Maya stop being so paranoid. He has to look at her, they're walking together. And it's not like she'll get hurt again. She stood up to Missy this weekend. I don't think that girl is scared of anything."

Farkle tried to talk some sense in Maya. But, he knew why she was so mad. She was disappointed in herself, because she wasn't there to protect Riley from Missy. He took his hand and put it in hers. She turned to him and they kissed, softly, gently. "Everything's going to be fine. The universe will right itself."

Maya looked at Farkle. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Riley walked over to her locker and out her iPod inside. Her first class was History, with her dad. She put her backpack in her locker and grabbed her history book. Before she closed the locker door, she saw, in her small mirror, Maya and Farkle, both faces scarlet red. Even so, they were both grinning stupidly. Riley chuckled, shook her head, and closed her locker door and screamed. "Hey, Lucas."

"Hey, girlfriend! Can I talk to you about something?"

"Actually, I need to get my mind off of school, and Missy, and Pretty much everything that's been going on. What's up?"

"I was wondering, if… Okay so it goes like this. I really like you, and I wish we weren't dating because of Missy. So, instead of pretending, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Honestly, Lucas, I thought you'd never ask. But I have to know, what happened with Missy?"

He then explained everything. From the letter, until this moment, on a bench, sitting in the school courtyard.

"You know," he stated, "You still haven't given me an answer"

"Well, I guess I'll be your girlfriend, if you insist," she giggled.

He took her head in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her. In front of an audience. Missy.

**AN: What to do, what to do? Should I continue this, or should I leave them in Happyland. I don't know. If I get enough reviews, I'll continue. What is enough? I don't know. Send me ideas for new fics! Later!**


	8. Missy

**AN: Yo yo yo! I'm so sorry that I have not updated! :( I will try my hardest to not leave you waiting of as long as I did before. My behavior was inexcusable and for that I am truly sorry.**

Missy had done everything in her ability to break up Lucas and Riley. She could not believe that they had been able to stay together throughout all of the obstacles that she threw at them. However, she made a very important observation. It was very easy to get under Riley's skin. All you had to do was stretch the truth.

Riley walked into class; her fingers interlaced with…his. She couldn't believe that he was hers, and no one could take him from her. Cory, still her teacher, looked at both of them, and wondered what was happening. He realized that he had a choice here. He could let her have a causal relationship, with a boy that she liked, or he could suspect the worst, and completely embarrass her. He quickly remembered how he had to make a similar decision on the day that the two first met, and smiled to himself. "Dad," Riley stated, "You can freak out and completely obsess over the fact that I am holding hands with a boy, or…"

"I'm going to do whatever you say next," Cory replied with a smile.

Riley offered a shy smile up to her father, and both students walked to their seats.

Missy was fuming. Even Riley's father couldn't present a problem in this situation. She realized that if she wanted something done, she had to do it herself. It was unwise to rely on the unstable variables that are human beings. She quickly devised a plan.

"Maya," Farkle said, getting down on one knee, "will you do me the honor of letting me escort you to the spring formal?"

Maya giggled and slowly lifted his head, so that he was facing her. "Farkle, it would be my pleasure."

"What has gotten into Maya? She never giggles. She never has, and I thought she never would." Riley leaned into her boyfriend.

"Well, it seems as if our girl has a bad case of the Farkles," Lucas replied. "Come on, I heard about this great restaurant in the city. If we leave now, we can make it back on time for class"

Missy heard this and scampered into her car and drove, quickly realizing that she didn't know what restaurant Lucas was talking about. She slammed her fist on the steering wheel, angry. Her brain was on overdrive, trying to figure out how to break them up, but she couldn't do it. In all of the years that she had known Riley, she had used every trick in the book, and she could not think of any more. She then realized the best way to take her down. Blossom Queen.

Riley walked into homeroom, excited to hear the announcement of the Blossom King and Queen. She had hoped that she would win. She had passed the nominations, and was awaiting the results. Of course, many girls nominated Lucas to be Blossom King, so she knew he would win. But, not many girls liked her, because of who she was dating. In fact, most of the female population wanted to date Lucas Friar, but no one would even lift a finger and try to break them up because of what had happened with Missy. Not only did they despise her, but they feared her. And she was okay with that. The PA system rang out across the school, "This is the day that you all have been waiting for. The Blossom King is… Lucas Friar!"

Over three quarters of the female population screamed and cheered. Riley smiled to herself. "And the winner for Blossom Queen is… Missy Bradford?" Lucas cringed. He knew what had happened the last time he was alone with Missy.


End file.
